Carry On Dancing
by Yvy
Summary: Drabbles exploring various moments in Jane and Lisbon's lives.


Well I haven't written anything in a while and thought this would be a good thing to [hopefully] get the creative juices flowing. Enjoy- also apologies for any mistakes, this is currently un-beta'd.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, _The Mentalist _is not mine.

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**Winter: **

Patrick Jane stood, blinking frozen tears from his eyes. He was staring down, trying to screw his courage to his sticking place. To say the words he had practised in his head a thousand times.

But looking at the cold stone beneath, it was all he could do not to break down completely. His life should be wonderful, beautiful and _complete_, instead he still felt as cold inside as the wind whipping around him.

"The seasons change, but I will always love you." He whispered, his voice nearly breaking. It still felt so wrong, seven years after that fateful night he still missed them, still wanted to feel his two best girls in his arms. Not, however he settled for something else. Something far from perfect but something real.

His confession that he had began to fall in love again died from his lips as he read the words engraved on his wife's gravestone.

_Always loved, dearly missed. _

**Break:**

_I'm still alive._

It just didn't seem fair, Lisbon thought to herself. She was sat in her office trying to keep her voice steady as she spoke to the family of her newest agent.

"Grace, she was..." Teresa paused, trying to think of the right words. "She gave her life bravely. I'm sorry for your loss."

She carefully put the phone down, not wanting to her the hysterical sobbing coming from the other end of the line. Lisbon rested her head on her desk and tried not to think of the terrible events that occurred only hours before.

"Teresa?" The small voice came from the door; it contrasted perhaps too much with the giant of a man. He looked as bad as she felt. "What do I do?"

"I don't know, Rigsby... I just don't know."

**Mustard:**

"You seem chirpy, Jane." Lisbon stated with a smile.

"They got the mustard out of my suit. Today is a good day." He replied with a wink.

**She is:**

She was everything.

Lisbon was beginning to mean the world to Jane, but still he couldn't let her get too close. He had to walk away. Red John was his cause, the reason he was still alive- the reason he had not ended it years ago. But then he would think Of Teresa, her luscious black hair, he piercing eyes and that sarcastic smile.

He wanted her around. Not just to annoy or antagonise but because he felt she could bring him some sort of clarity.

To get past this terrible Red John obsession, Lisbon was exactly what he needed. But that need was not enough; he wanted Red John dead- to bring him to his knees more than he wanted to feel Teresa beside him.

He had sorted out his priorities and as much as he wished it, he could never have Lisbon. Everything was not enough.

**Sand:**

For two weeks it had been perfect. The walks on the beach, the holding hands and the passionate kissing on the hotel balcony. It had almost been fun.

"I'm not calling you Patrick." She had said with smirk- her eyes glistening mischievously at him.

"Because it cements the relationship we have?" Patrick asked, his eyes not sharing the humour of hers. And in that moment the playfulness was gone, leaving heavy questions in the air. _I can't shake the thought of you._

"No... Well yes... I don't know Jane." Lisbon sighed; this is why work related dating _never _worked. It just could get too confusing.

"When we go back, back to our lives. This...."

And she waved her finger between their two entwined bodies.

"...This has to end."

"What if I don't want it to?" He asked, nuzzling his head into her shoulder. "Why would I want it to? It's perfect."

Lisbon shook her head- she had made her decision. And painful as it was, this was how it was meant to be.

**Read my mind:**

She wanted to move on. Move away from the death, heartache and only dealing with the worst of humanity.

She needed to turn around and find something happier in her life. Not pseudo-happy like her favourite consultant, but something that can make her feel truly alive.

So Teresa Lisbon decided to move.

She didn't mind leaving the crazy hours, the hectic lifestyle or the feverous search for Red John that Jane had dragged her on. But she would miss her family. The people she had worked with for the best years of her life. But the best had still been tragic, to Lisbon that said something about how she was living her life.

She needed to see the sun. And she knew that deep down, Jane knew this too.

**Kiwi:**

"You are _such_ a flirt." Lisbon observed as Jane had sweet-talked yet more droves of women into doing his bidding.

"Ah but you, my dear, are the only one with whom I mean it." He replied as he leant in, his mouth mere inches from her own. Lisbon unconsciously licked her lips, keeping her eyes locked with Jane's. They stayed like this for what seemed like eternity- neither wanting to be the first to break, neither wanting to lean forward, or away.

"You know your charm doesn't work on me, right?" Lisbon asked, her voice trying to convey some sort of confidence.

Jane only smirked as he leant in closer, his head dipping down ready for what Lisbon felt was inevitable. It never came.

"Of course it doesn't." He whispered gently, against her mouth. Impatient as she always was, Lisbon to this opportunity to grab him by the ears and crush his lips to hers.

**Shut me up:**

She just wanted him to be quiet once in a while. Was it too much to ask? The incessant chatter. The questioning that usually ended with him asking why.

She tried to keep her temper; she was determined never to turn into her father. Never to lose her temper but sometimes it was just so hard. She just wanted him to shut up once in a while.

Did that make her a bad person? Lisbon wondered to herself.

The blue eyed monster looked up at her with a twinkle in his eye. How could she ever stay mad at someone so perfect?

"Jane, please take your son before I bite his head off." She moaned, three days with no sleep was bound to make any mother cranky.

**Gold:**

His wife had always had the most amazing smile. He remember loving it even more every day, the wedding day her smile shone brighter than anything else on the beach. The only thing that came close to the beauty was the band of gold wrapped around her finger. Then their little angel arrived, full of promises, to love and hold forever.

His daughter had been even more perfect. He would never forget the first time her tiny hand had slipped into his, her mother's smile even cuter on her tiny face. Patrick Jane was loved.

**Fidelity:**

"You crave control, from your work life to every relationship you've ever been in. It breaks my heart Teresa that you've never just let yourself get lost in the moment." Jane said, as he threw a tennis ball up and down.

Up and down.

Up and down.

"Will you stop that?! And I've got lost before- I've just haven't found anyone worth getting lost with for a while." Teresa tried to reason to the blonde consultant, to stop the thoughts going round her head that, as usual, Jane was right.

"You should try it. You really should." He suggested with that infuriating grin on his face.

"No, love only ever gets people hurt- you of all people should know that." Lisbon replied bitterly, snatching the ball from his grasp.


End file.
